“근본적인 계획”을 향하여

Abstract

Director Bong Joon-ho acknowledges that he drew inspiration from the real-life murder case of the Papin sisters during the synopsis writing stage of his film Parasite. Just as Jean Genet captured the theatrical behavior exhibited by the Papin sisters and transformed it into the theatricality of his play The Maids, Bong also actively incorporates this theatricality as a major motif in his film Parasite. Furthermore, he expands the conflict between the upper and lower classes depicted in the murder case to encompass not only the conflict between the upper and lower classes, but also the conflict within the lower class itself, thereby criticizing the problems of contemporary capitalist society. In Parasite, there are no clear villains, but horrific things happen to the characters in the climax. In this respect, the film's world is morally ambiguous. Bong, however, presents these contradictory social problems as they are, leaving the search for solutions to the audience. Therefore, Parasite is an incomplete project in itself, and its completion can only be achieved only when the film's criticism leads to actions in real life. This project should be initiated by making “a radical plan” that is quite different from Ki-woo's. By entrusting this project to the audience, however, Bong demonstrates a clear awareness of his abilities and limitations as an artist. This is probably one of the reasons why he emphasizes the theatricality that breaks down the boundaries between reality and fiction in Parasite and encourages the audience to actively participate in the film.